What stands out worked out from the figures below

Braintree Town has the most expensive homes ($657k median).

Pelham has the most people working from home (22.8%).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Braintree Town	Pelham
People
Population	38,899Highest	14,449Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±1.2Lowest 6% above U.S.	41.5±2.7Highest 7% above U.S.
	Pelham and Braintree Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.6%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	22%±2.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Pelham and Braintree Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.6%±1.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.5%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Braintree Town and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	40%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.5%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.9%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Braintree Town and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$122,214±$10kLowest 51% above U.S.	$135,956±$19kHighest 68% above U.S.
	Pelham and Braintree Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$656,800±$14kHighest 97% above U.S.	$552,600±$27kLowest 66% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,024±$195Highest 43% above U.S.	$1,425±$88Lowest about the U.S. average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,436Lowest 74% above U.S.	$8,634Highest 177% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.9%±7.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	67.3%±12.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Pelham and Braintree Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1957Lowest 23 yrs older than U.S.	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 24% above U.S.	30 minLowest 12% above U.S.
Work from home	18.2%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.8%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Pelham and Braintree Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#84 of 282 in MA	#48 of 120 in NH
School district	Braintree	Pelham School District
High school in town	Braintree High	Pelham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	15.7Highest	10.4Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.